Gas turbine engines operate to produce mechanical work or thrust. Specifically, land-based gas turbine engines typically have a generator coupled thereto for the purposes of generating electricity. An enhancement in combustion technology is the concept of premixing fuel and air prior to combustion to form a homogeneous mixture that burns at a lower temperature. An example of a premixing combustor uses a plurality of fuel nozzles to inject fuel into a premix chamber where it mixes with compressed air before entering a combustion chamber. Premixing fuel and air together before combustion allows for the fuel and air to form a more homogeneous mixture prior to ignition.
More specifically, a fuel nozzle can include a swirler to aid in mixing the fuel. A swirler can include a plurality of vanes extending from the nozzle. However, the exact design and fuel injection locations can vary depending on the design parameters of the fuel nozzle and the combustor such as desired mixing level and convective delay time, to name a few.